By Tom Marshall, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
TAMPA — Ever wonder how Florida students really compare with their national peers on standardized tests?
Hillsborough County will soon provide an answer.
The School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to test students in most grades this spring on the Stanford-10, a national test designed to compare students on skills commonly found on state-mandated tests.
The move came after surprising drops on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in elementary grades prompted superintendent MaryEllen Elia and other district leaders to question the state test's accuracy.
The district will pay $520,000 for something that the state used to provide: a way to double-check the FCAT.
"Ever since the state discontinued the use of the norm-referenced test several years ago, we've lost any external control on FCAT scores," said David Steele, the district's chief information and technology officer.
Hillsborough has been ...